Jolene the GRUMPY one (smile) and I the HAPPY one (smile) decided to move here with our kids in 1998 from Canada. In 2006 we were awarded Belizean Citizenship. We chose Belize for many reasons including the fact that the Belize Barrier Reef is one of the largest and most pristine reef systems. Also Belize's first language is English--our older children were in school at that time so this was very important for them. It was not difficult at that time to move here and start this type of business. We started a private snorkeling business because it was active, healthy and we liked people.

I was a Police Officer in Northern Ontario, Canada and Jolene
was a School Bus Driver and secretary. Quite a career change, eh? Jolene and I are enjoying life and the people we meet. We want to do
things different so we strive for a more personal and special experience for our guests. Getting to know people and offering service to those with Special Needs is our goal.
That is the JOY for us.
We've been married for over 32 years and have basically started over again. We can tell you ... there are worse ways to make a living!

BY - Jolene

What can I say, everyone knows that the man is always the GRUMPY one , right ladies? (smile) Ok, I admit that I have my moments! Overall Life has been good to us and the lifestyle is simple and quiet here. We have realized over the years that changing our lives like this has been one of our most challenging endeavors. Even scary at times. But the rewards far outweigh these challenges. In the end we have a nice lifestyle in a warm climate and we continue to appreciate the beautiful surroundings. I still say even after 13 years it has been well worth it.
Our business traffic has increased over the years but we have elected to remain as a "Mom & Pop" company. This way we ensure quality & a more personal experience for our guests. We are not looking to see how many we can get on our boat! We love what we do and I pray that we will never take any of this for granted!

How we came to Belize

Jolene
and Lorne
Jackson

Tourists always talk about the beautiful
barrier reef that is San Pedro's main attraction, but who are
the people that take them to see it? Tour guides and boat
captains work together to make visits to Belize's marine parks
memorable for those who arrive from far away destinations.
Then there are those whose job it is to ensure that tourists
are safe in the water while diving or snorkeling. Jolene and
Lorne Jackson of Grumpy and Happy Dive Instruction are just
these kinds of people.

Jolene Jackson was born to Carole Ann and
Clayton Bowman (a military man) at a Canadian Forces base in
Marville, France. When she was three years old, her father was
transferred to Ottawa, Canada, a trip that was only the
beginning of her travels. Jolene's father was transferred to
different bases every two or three years in cities across
Canada. The family finally settled in British Columbia (B.C.),
Canada when she was 12 years old.

At the very young age of 13, Jolene went
to work at her first job, as a strawberry picker during the
summer vacation. At 16, she worked as a chambermaid in
Mission, B.C. for a few months before being hired as a
secretary at the Cultus Lake Park Tourism Bureau in the heart
of the Fraser Valley. Jolene worked at the park for
three and a half years before she met her future husband,
Lorne Jackson.

Although Lorne had lived
most of his life in Toronto, Canada, he had also traveled. He
was born in Toronto, and moved across the ocean to the island
of Bermuda at the age of 12. Three months after his
17th birthday, he returned to Canada and joined the army. The
following eight years of his tour in the army were spent as a
weapons specialist. Lorne was attached to the United Nations
Force in the Middle East and served for a period of time in
the Golan Heights, on the Israeli/Syrian border. He described
it as an "interesting" place to be although there were some
harrowing experiences. When Lorne returned to Canada he was
transferred to Chilliwack, B.C., where he met his bride to be,
Jolene.

The couple "courted" for two years and then married in March of
1981. A year later, Lorne left the military to join the
Canadian Penitentiary Service, where he worked in a
maximum-security prison in Aggasiz, B.C. In the meantime,
Jolene had left her job at the tourist bureau, and was hired
by the Chilliwack General Hospital as a purchasing clerk,
where she worked for the next year.

During this time, Lorne decided that the
job at the penitentiary was not suited to him, and that he
would be much happier working as a police officer. The couple
moved back to Bermuda, where Lorne was trained to be a
policeman, and served for the next two years. Jolene found
work with a company called Bermuda Office Services, a
secretarial employment agency. After two years, Jolene and
Lorne decided to return to Canada. Lorne applied and was
accepted to the Winnipeg Police Department in Manitoba where
all three of their children (Lorie, Amy, and Nicolas) were
born.

Lorne served on several police forces in
Canada such as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the
Winnipeg City Police, in addition to the Atikokan and Elliot
Lake Police Departments, for the next 14 years. During that
time, he spent long hours studying after work, and earned two
certificates in Advanced Police Studies, from Waterloo
University. Following that, Lorne attended Laurentian
University and obtained a third certificate in Law and
Justice.

Following Lorne's service in Elliot Lake
he was transferred to the Ontario Police College to teach
fellow police officers law, and investigation techniques,
particularly in relation to child abuse, sexual offenses, and
discrimination, (areas in which he had special training). He
also taught law in relation to various criminal offenses, as
well as officer safety. With all three children in school,
Jolene took a job as a cashier in a local grocery store and
also drove a school bus. Once they returned to Elliot Lake,
Jolene continued to drive a school bus, which seemed to be the
appropriate line of work for a mother who still wanted to
spend time with her children.

It was at this point in the couple's
lives that they decided to take a chance, and try something
new. Jolene and Lorne were both people-oriented and wanted to
travel, so they decided to become dive instructors and move to
the destination of their choice. Thus, the couple enrolled at
the Professional Diving School of America in Florida,USA and
graduated as PADI instructors.

Jolene and Lorne's choice of places to move
was based on research gathered over the course of a year. One
of the couple's requirements was that English must be the
country's first language in order for their children to
continue their high school education. After careful
consideration and much information provided by a new E-mail
friend in San Pedro, Jolene and Lorne decided that Belize was
the best location to start a new life.

Immediately after becoming dive
instructors, Jolene and Lorne took a trip to investigate
Belize. Impressed with the island, the couple decided to
purchase a piece of land in San Pedro, based on its beauty,
safety and great business potential. Following a short trip
back to Canada, Lorne, Jolene and their children returned to
their new home on Ambergris Caye.

In Belize, the couple first purchased a
diving boat, and Jolene named it Grumpy and Happy, which later became their business name and slogan. Jolene thought that the motto for their dive instruction should be "Grumpy before diving, Happy after." Contrary to popular local belief, the boat was not named after the personalities of its owners, yet the longstanding joke is what tourists always ask, "Who is Grumpy and who is Happy?"

Two years later, Jolene and Lorne constructed their own large, private, 10-foot deep pool for instructional purposes and began to teach very small groups of people to dive, and provide occasional snorkeling trips. According to Lorne, "By teaching small classes we find that we have a lot more time to give people on a private level and have a lot more fun doing it. We have had fun and made tons of friends in the process."

Although the couple loves to take vacations back to Canada, they also choose to relax in Belize. Jolene enjoys playing piano and cross-stitching while Lorne is happy to read novels and tinker about the house. Jolene says that her husband "is a gifted carpenter and handyman."

This happy couple is delighted to share their experiences with others, in addition to showing visitors the wonderful undersea world. It is through the skills of people like Jolene and Lorne Jackson that others can safely enjoy the feeling of what it is like to dive into "Our Community".